- Status
G
Excellent build and finish Jens
G
Cheers guys!!! 
Last night "working on your own" sadly got a new meaning when I slipped with my scalpel, with a brand new blade, and plunged it right into a finger on the left hand and created a bit of a mess before I was able to close the wound, clean it and grab a bottle of CA glue to "stitch" it up...
After cleaning up the mess it was pointless to continue working on the base since the cut finger was pretty useless from all the CA glue on it so no progress sadly.
Have failed to find a suitable broom today too so no fascine either.
Had an interesting idea though for a different base during this creative break and I'm now searching for a glass dome like this one below.
It would look interesting if I make a round wooden base and a raised piece of terrain on the base, like a small mound/hill, and place the model on top and put the glass dome back, on top of everything.
It would both protect the model, and add flair to the miniature "diorama" effect.
The domes I've found so far are silly expensive, but I like the idea so I will continue to look!
I'm sure they manufacture these domes for little money and then they are re-branded and marked up at interior decoration firms - where I found this one for £70.
If you know other cheaper sources for such glass domes, or plastic too, I'm all ears!
Cheers,
Jens
Last night "working on your own" sadly got a new meaning when I slipped with my scalpel, with a brand new blade, and plunged it right into a finger on the left hand and created a bit of a mess before I was able to close the wound, clean it and grab a bottle of CA glue to "stitch" it up...
After cleaning up the mess it was pointless to continue working on the base since the cut finger was pretty useless from all the CA glue on it so no progress sadly.
Have failed to find a suitable broom today too so no fascine either.
Had an interesting idea though for a different base during this creative break and I'm now searching for a glass dome like this one below.
It would look interesting if I make a round wooden base and a raised piece of terrain on the base, like a small mound/hill, and place the model on top and put the glass dome back, on top of everything.
It would both protect the model, and add flair to the miniature "diorama" effect.
The domes I've found so far are silly expensive, but I like the idea so I will continue to look!
I'm sure they manufacture these domes for little money and then they are re-branded and marked up at interior decoration firms - where I found this one for £70.
If you know other cheaper sources for such glass domes, or plastic too, I'm all ears!
Cheers,
Jens
G
Broom finally found so the fascine is now on track again!
Damn it was hard to find...
I've also finally started to build a small vignette to finish the build but I'm way outside my comfort zone here because this is really the first time I've done something like this!
The plan is to have the tank parked on top a small slope/mound, just like all the old WWI pictures you see of Mk.I and Mk.IV tanks, but I wanted the slope to be part of an old trench, or fortification - just to give it more life and purpose.
The base is just a piece of MDF and after some thinking (a lot of thinking to be honest, perhaps too much?) I hot glued some EVA foam to the base and then mixed some plaster with brown paint and some PVA glue to hopefully make it a bit sturdier for the future. This was just improvisation and I've got no idea if it'll work or not...
I've just added some earth to it as well from an old dead flower pot that I found, mixed with some water and PVA and then tried to "sculpt" a base layer.
When I was sort of happy, or at least felt it was enough for the first layer, I mixed more PVA with water and almost flooded the earth just to make it solid, and I soaked up all the extra glue with some kitchen paper.
Perhaps I should've watched some solid tutorials first but the ones I've seen all contradict each other so I improvised as usual and just went for it.
I hope it looks ok in a few hours when it's started to cure...
Here are some pictures whilst doing it. Please comment with tips, suggestions or something I've done wrong because the base can easily be redone, although I'm kinda pleased with how the boards turned out.
I've tried to make it like the boards are caving in from the pressure above. It's also going to look abandoned and not being an active trench.
It's also just going to be some sort of outer feature of a trench so no well maintained floor.
I might add some grass to the model depending how it turns out? The tank is pretty muddy so I'm going to (try to) make it look a bit "wet" and muddy.
It needs a few more features to create interest for the whole base but that's still unknown. I might add something related to trenches like barbed wire and sand bags?
We shall see!
I did enjoy playing with balsa wood again! Haven't done so since I was building air planes as a teenager and a lot of old memories came back
Cheers!
Damn it was hard to find...
I've also finally started to build a small vignette to finish the build but I'm way outside my comfort zone here because this is really the first time I've done something like this!
The plan is to have the tank parked on top a small slope/mound, just like all the old WWI pictures you see of Mk.I and Mk.IV tanks, but I wanted the slope to be part of an old trench, or fortification - just to give it more life and purpose.
The base is just a piece of MDF and after some thinking (a lot of thinking to be honest, perhaps too much?) I hot glued some EVA foam to the base and then mixed some plaster with brown paint and some PVA glue to hopefully make it a bit sturdier for the future. This was just improvisation and I've got no idea if it'll work or not...
I've just added some earth to it as well from an old dead flower pot that I found, mixed with some water and PVA and then tried to "sculpt" a base layer.
When I was sort of happy, or at least felt it was enough for the first layer, I mixed more PVA with water and almost flooded the earth just to make it solid, and I soaked up all the extra glue with some kitchen paper.
Perhaps I should've watched some solid tutorials first but the ones I've seen all contradict each other so I improvised as usual and just went for it.
I hope it looks ok in a few hours when it's started to cure...
Here are some pictures whilst doing it. Please comment with tips, suggestions or something I've done wrong because the base can easily be redone, although I'm kinda pleased with how the boards turned out.
I've tried to make it like the boards are caving in from the pressure above. It's also going to look abandoned and not being an active trench.
It's also just going to be some sort of outer feature of a trench so no well maintained floor.
I might add some grass to the model depending how it turns out? The tank is pretty muddy so I'm going to (try to) make it look a bit "wet" and muddy.
It needs a few more features to create interest for the whole base but that's still unknown. I might add something related to trenches like barbed wire and sand bags?
We shall see!
I did enjoy playing with balsa wood again! Haven't done so since I was building air planes as a teenager and a lot of old memories came back
Cheers!
G
Really nice work mate! Looks like the diorama building is going to come very natural to you. The trench boards look really good. And you can't beat getting messy with the mud/pva mix
That tank is absolutely flippin' marvellous.
I forgot to ask. How do you apply your grime ? I tried brushing it carefully in vertical lines, let it dry a bit, then I'm stuck. What do you use to blend it in ? Is it water based or not ? I can't work it out.
Great work with the base Jens, looking very good and life like.
G
I do a section at the time but I just brush on a little odorless thinner with a wide brush, just to make it a bit damp and then add the first grime colour and blend it vertically with another smaller brush. Let it dry for a bit and then on it again with the same grime until happy and then move on to a different tone. In all I used three different "grimes" on this model if I can remember it correctly?
I don't use any water at all, only odorless thinner. AMMO by Mig brand thinner. Vallejo grimes, oil effect and pigments.
It's easier to work a small segment at the time and don't move on until you're happy. I've been practising on plastic bottles until I got the hang of it but I find it easiest to do a little every time and blend it until very little is left, and then do it again in layers. That way it's easier to control and easier to stop in time. In my case luck was also part of it I think...
Edit: Come to think of it I used Vallejo streaking grime and streaking rust in combination on this model, and a bit of oil effects/streaking oil on axels and other "oily" parts. Thin layers and many of them. Worked surprisingly well on the XF-49 Khaki base colour!
Edit 2: If I'm not making any sense it's because I'm almost asleep and fighting to keep my eyes open...
Perfect sense Jens. I now might be tempted to try a few other types. Thanks.
G
Well it works really well Jens, your weathering is excellent. Looking forward to. Seeing this in completion!
G
Great work Jens.
.
G
I'm sorry I didn't see this comment earlier, but a huge thank you for those kind words!
A huge thank you to all of you!
Returning to scale modelling has been more fun - and addictive - than I'd thought were possible and it has turned into almost a full time job for me, but one without pay that is...
Suddenly being retired isn't such a bad thing after all!
The vignette base has finally dried. All the soil soaked up all the PVA glue and water but things doesn't exactly dry fast time time of year and I didn't dare putting it next to a radiator.
Now I'm going to add the very top layer where I'm going to make the really sunken in tracks and add a thin layer to the last empty bit of the base, and then it's detailing time.
I'm going to try to make some barbed wire and perhaps some broken wooded boxes or something similar, just to add a few focal points. I'm still not sure about grass but perhaps some on the sides of the mound will look natural? I'm doing one thing at the time so I don't overdo something. I hope I can replicate some of the features I have in my head...
I'm also going to make some smaller vegetation to add to the vignette. Sadly I have nothing colourful to use for creating flowers etc, but I'm going to play around with coloured paper and see what can be done?
I'll try to take some photos later tonight when I have some progress so you can point out if I've done something stupid!?
Cheers!
G
Something is missing in/on the scenery and after too much pondering and looking at old WWI footage I decided to prototype some German WWI barbed wire.
Making scale accurate-ish barbed wire by hand is tricky and it took some time until I found thin enough wires that worked. I'm nowhere close with regards to the spacing of the barbs, but this is just a prototype.
After this picture was taken I added some on the other side as well but it doesn't "do it" for me... I've also adjusted the barbed wire so it has a better sag, but I'm still not sure.
Should I push on and make the other two strands of barbed wire, install them and go for it, or shall I remove it and do something else?
It needs something more...
Many thanks in advance.
Making scale accurate-ish barbed wire by hand is tricky and it took some time until I found thin enough wires that worked. I'm nowhere close with regards to the spacing of the barbs, but this is just a prototype.
After this picture was taken I added some on the other side as well but it doesn't "do it" for me... I've also adjusted the barbed wire so it has a better sag, but I'm still not sure.
Should I push on and make the other two strands of barbed wire, install them and go for it, or shall I remove it and do something else?
It needs something more...
Many thanks in advance.
G
This diorama/vignette isn't exactly going fast but that's been down to a change of plan - and finding the solution to the problem, and now I think I've got a plan!
Initially I wanted to have some static grass in the scenery, to give it some colour and "flair" but the more I though about it it felt less and less plausible due to the simple fact that virtually all photos of trench warfare you see are dirt, mud, misery and bodged ditches. No grass. No living vegetation at all!
So last night I filled in the empty areas with more earth and PVA glue and made two loose duck boards (to keep the feet dry) and went looking for suitable figures to populate the empty side of the diorama, and I think I'm on track again.
Here's the what it looks like after adding more soil and initial grey weathering of the wood.
The plan is that the Mk.IV have surprised the Germans, or they have waited in an ambush?
Either way it's just about to happen!
Here are the figures I've bought to use in the diorama.
I'm for sure going to use the guy lobbing the welcome package, i.e. the grenades, and probably the two charging soldiers, but the machine gun man will live to see another day, in the box.
I'm going to add some dead vegetation and some remnants of exploded trees etc. I'm also going to make it look a bit more wet and muddy.
The tank is going to leave deep and muddy tracks going up the mound but I have waited to make that until I knew exactly the position.
I've also revised my earth & PVA recipe so it dries a lot quicker now but still as rigid and hard. Quite simple actually, just leave a flower pot to die and go totally bone dry! Then just rip out the dead flower, remove any large objects and then pour PVA glue all over and mix! No water or anything else. It's really sticky to use without water, but it dries a lot quicker.
The pictures above looks a bit how you do it right now, but it's work in progress and with all the details in place, paint and weathering it should hopefully come together!
The barbed wire in the pictures are just my temporary "first try" one that's going to be replaced with the better ones I've made since. It was tricky to make close to scale accurate barbed wire but with a bit of practise it turned out ok.
This is my first ever diorama so I get to do every fault possible on almost every step
Initially I wanted to have some static grass in the scenery, to give it some colour and "flair" but the more I though about it it felt less and less plausible due to the simple fact that virtually all photos of trench warfare you see are dirt, mud, misery and bodged ditches. No grass. No living vegetation at all!
So last night I filled in the empty areas with more earth and PVA glue and made two loose duck boards (to keep the feet dry) and went looking for suitable figures to populate the empty side of the diorama, and I think I'm on track again.
Here's the what it looks like after adding more soil and initial grey weathering of the wood.
The plan is that the Mk.IV have surprised the Germans, or they have waited in an ambush?
Either way it's just about to happen!
Here are the figures I've bought to use in the diorama.
I'm for sure going to use the guy lobbing the welcome package, i.e. the grenades, and probably the two charging soldiers, but the machine gun man will live to see another day, in the box.
I'm going to add some dead vegetation and some remnants of exploded trees etc. I'm also going to make it look a bit more wet and muddy.
The tank is going to leave deep and muddy tracks going up the mound but I have waited to make that until I knew exactly the position.
I've also revised my earth & PVA recipe so it dries a lot quicker now but still as rigid and hard. Quite simple actually, just leave a flower pot to die and go totally bone dry! Then just rip out the dead flower, remove any large objects and then pour PVA glue all over and mix! No water or anything else. It's really sticky to use without water, but it dries a lot quicker.
The pictures above looks a bit how you do it right now, but it's work in progress and with all the details in place, paint and weathering it should hopefully come together!
The barbed wire in the pictures are just my temporary "first try" one that's going to be replaced with the better ones I've made since. It was tricky to make close to scale accurate barbed wire but with a bit of practise it turned out ok.
This is my first ever diorama so I get to do every fault possible on almost every step
The diorama/vignette is looking very good Jens, and I think the figures you've chosen are perfect for the job. Looking forward to more updates.
G
Meh, it's looking "alright".
Trying is an art in itself I guess.
10 points to Slytherin.
Trying is an art in itself I guess.
10 points to Slytherin.
Meh, it's looking "alright".
Trying is an art in itself I guess.
10 points to Slytherin.
Oh God, not another one!!
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